Komsic Sounds Out Bosnia Opposition Leftists

The Croat member of Bosnia's state presidency, Zeljko Komsic, has met leaders of the opposition Nasa Stranka [Our Party] with a view to forming a joint bloc in the 2014 election.

Elvira M. Jukic

BIRN

Sarajevo

Zeljko Komsic recently met leaders of Nasa Stranka [Our Party], a small left-oriented opposition party, to discuss campainging together in the 2014 elections.

According to reports, on November 22 they agreed to act together in the general elections as a united opposition block.

Dino Mustafic of Nasa Stranka said the new bloc would have a clear program that would bring about much-needed changes in politics.

He added that Nasa Stranka would talk to all left-wing parties “which did not give up on a better and happier Bosnia” and Komsic's announced party would be one of them.

“We agree 100 per cent with Zeljko Komsic,” Mustafic said. “We did not firm up details of our cooperation but we will continue these talks in the following months.”

The Bosnian Presidency member is working on forming his own new party after quitting the ruling Social Democratic Party, SDP.

Komsic left in June, saying the SDP had not fulfilled the promises that it made before the last general election in 2010.

He strongly opposed the SDP's proposed constitutional changes, which he said would discriminate against people who did not align with any of Bosnia's three main groups.

Constitutional changes are an obligation on Bosnia following the 2009 Sejdic-Finci human rights ruling of the European Court of Human Rights.

This told Bosnia to change its laws to allow members of ethnic minorities run for top governing posts currently reserved for members of the three main ethnic groups, Bosniaks [Muslims], Serbs and Croats.

After months of silence, Komsic said in October that he was starting a new party, which would compete in the 2014 general elections.

Komsic first quit the SDP in March, arguing that the party was not addressing real problems in the country, such as corruption. At the time, the party did not accept his resignation.